I posted in November about two special episodes of Sound Gaze that Doug Nunnally had titled “I’m With Them” — episodes comprised completely of music by or featuring women musicians. It was a beautiful, meaningful, and well-executed idea, but apparently Doug was just warming up.
He’s just posted 10 (!) more I’m With Them episodes, each 75 minutes long, with songs in pairs, so you can consecutively hear a recommended song and a song by the musician who recommended it. 750 minutes total = running music for the foreseeable future. Can’t wait to dig in.
Click here for more information and download links, or better yet, subscribe to Sound Gaze via iTunes. And while you’re at it, check out this wonderful Style Weekly article about Doug and the I’m With Them series.
As shock from the election wears off, the question of how to move forward looms large. Growing numbers of demonstrations and walk-outs offer a preview of how freedom of assembly can and should be used to oppose discriminatory rhetoric and practices. You can donate to worthyorganizations who will face uphill battles in the years ahead. Subscribing to a newspaper seems like a solid response at the moment — never has it been more important that we commit to gathering information from reputablesources.
In addition to marching in the streets, there are other ways we can stand beside one another, and I thought I’d point to one gesture I admired:Doug Nunnally’s special “I’m With Them” Sound Gaze podcasts, which were posted over the weekend. Nunnally assembled more than six hours of songs by woman musicians — three curated by him and three more curated by other woman musicians. At a time when gender dynamics seem to have been set back decades overnight, it’s more important than ever to amplify the voices of those who are forced to fight against marginalization, and I think that’s what Doug is attempting to do here.
There are a zillion amazing artists included in these six hours, so I recommend chipping away a little at a time as I am, but I thought I’d close with a track from a personal favorite who was included in “I’m With Them,” Lianne la Havas.
Wanted to post quickly about Sound Gaze for two reasons. First, I wanted to thank Doug for having me on this weekend. He’s a class act, and if you’re not a regular listener, I’d highly recommend tuning into WDCE on Saturdays or subscribing to the podcast and catching up throughout the week. (I can confirm that it’s an excellent running podcast.)
Second, I thought I’d offer a few corrections and clarifications from Saturday, because I clearly have the recall of an overwhelmed chipmunk:
The new Head and the Heart album, Signs of Light, comes out on September 9.
The new Hiss Golden Messenger album, Heart Like a Levee, comes out on October 7.
I saw Xenia Rubinos open for Son Lux, not Son Little. In my defense, both shows happened at Strange Matter, and both were completely awesome.
Jump, Little Children did, in fact, form in North Carolina, though Wikipedia lists Charleston, South Carolina as their pre-breakup “adopted hometown.”
Apologies for smacking my gums before talking. I don’t think I normally do that, which makes it extra weird that I’d repeatedly do it on the radio.
Once again, I apologize for abusing the word “incredible,” though, if I were pressed, I’d probably defend any individual use of it.
I talked about having Carl Broemel’s album on hold at BK Music in part because I originally had “In The Dark” in my mix for Saturday but had to make some tough cuts, so I thought I’d share it below. I really, really like this Broemel album. I went straight to BK after the show to grab it and had it spinning just this morning. Well worth a listen, if you haven’t heard it.
Thanks again, Doug, and thanks to everyone who listened.
A few Friday news and notes items, starting with the video above…
Holy crap — have y’all heard this Angelica Garcia song? Matthew E. White tweeted about her yesterday, and Ted, the bass player for my band, saw her at The Tin Pan last night and raved about it. Can’t wait to hear more. (BTW s/o to a fellow son [daughter in her case] of a preacher [Episcopalian priest in both our cases] man [woman in my case].)
Mrs. YHT and I finished Stranger Things last night. No, YOU were a sobbing mess. Did you hear that the band that contributed the original score — they’re called, appropriately, Survive — is going on tour?
Speaking of soundtracks hitting the road, Seu Jorge is doing a David Bowie tribute tour, reprising his role in The Life Aquatic. He’s coming to D.C., but it’s on a Tuesday, and that Tuesday happens to be election day. Not sure I’m brave enough to go to that city on that day, but hot damn do I want to see that show. And hot damn to I want to get my hands on a copy of this.
So Delicate Steve played on Paul Simon’s last album. Which I love. I had no idea. I found this out because a press release celebrating his signing to ANTI- mentioned it. (Here’s the new tune of his they linked to in that email.)
David Vandervelde — one of two people named David who played music at my sister’s wedding — is putting out a collaborative EP with Tess Shapiro. It’s streaming over at Brooklyn Vegan, and I’d recommend listening all the way through. The whole thing is good, but I’m really digging the last two tracks.
The only thing better than friends who make mixtapes are friends who make mixtapes and also link you to other excellent mixtapes. Thank you for sending a link to this wonderful Aquarium Drunkard mix, Giselle!
I’m turning 33 tomorrow, and I’ll be celebrating the first few hours of my birthday by joining Doug Nunnally on Sound Gaze. Not sure when I’ll be jumping in, but the show runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WDCE. Listen online, listen on the radio, peer into the windows of the station… whatever it takes.
Gigging tonight at bdubs, so no show recommendations. As for bdubs recommendations: spicy garlic. Now and forever, spicy garlic.
OK, so maybe “quick” isn’t the right word here, because Doug Nunnally let me hang around for two whole hours chatting about 2015 music for a special retrospective edition of Sound Gaze, which was followed by his countdown of the best songs of the year. He’s already said this on Twitter, but we absolutely could have done another two hours, given this year’s bumper music crop and the enthusiasm he inspires when we get talking. Many thanks to Doug for having me on, and just as many apologies for smacking my gums so many times. No idea what that was about. Listen below!
So I was on Sound Gaze again! I’m a huge fan of Doug Nunnally’s WDCE show, and I’m extremely thankful to have been invited back last Saturday. The full episode is posted below.
This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of joining Doug Nunnally for an hour of his Sound Gaze show on WDCE. We had an awesome conversation — both while we were on the air and in between interview segments — covering everything from Fall Line Fest and Richmond music in general to the value of negative criticism and my Spotify stalking habit. I’d never been a guest on someone’s radio show like this (you’ll hear me exhaling before answers in an attempt to calm my nerves), but Doug asked really thoughtful questions and made the whole experience an incredibly positive one. Getting to talk to someone who loves music as much as Doug so clearly does is a rare treat, and I’m looking forward to the next time we can chat like this, be that on the radio or elsewhere.
Take a listen below — I come in around the 30-minute mark, but I recommend listening to the whole thing, because Sound Gaze is a great show and Doug’s a great host (he’s also a great writer — check out his recent Foo Fighters piece for rvamag.com here).
You Hear That 